PRACTICED SPACE: TOPOLOGY OF THE VISIBLE Selection Curated by Miguel Petchkovsky Morais Video Guerrilha in cooperation with N-Minutes Festival, Shanghai September 7 – October 8, 2012 ARTISTS Fernando Velázquez, César Meneghetti, Simone Michelin, Juliana Cerqueira, Adriana Ramalho, Alex Villar, Virginia de Medeiros, Raquel Kogan, Lea Van Steen, Carmen Gil Vrolijk, Sérgio Ulhoa. ABOUT PRACTICED SPACE The visible grid of the city, suggests a foundational dialogism that engages public in time bound situations, and new territories of visual engagement. The transit and fault lines between perceived and conceived spaces, defined by people’s relationships, are transversal vectors of mass mediated environment, of sub cultures networks mapping their own relationships with the centre and peripheries. World society has been completely urbanized, and the regimes of visibility are informed by regulated vertical space that often are appropriated by advertisement and artists constantly appropriating and remixing imagery, they are the masters of semiotics of space encoded as a symbolic space of dialogical context. This proposal, envision public space contemporary image/sound new technology and its interfaces with city audiences and contemporary/ historical architecture significance within its relationships with social constructs and dislocated cultural narratives. The idea is to use this project as a study case based on disclosing the inner emotional and transversal realities and imaginaries, shaping city identities, in which cross contemporary practices will serve as a pivotal force to shape innovative ideas as well as promoting critical cultural knowledge between the cities of S. Paulo, Rio De Janeiro and Shanghai The Brazilian artists included on this show have been part of the Video Guerrilha Festival in S. Paulo 2011. The diversity of their works, from experimental abstract approaches to visual poetics and public space performances, are all together an statement of diversity and re- imagination /re- imaged in which the central focus is the relationships between the self and the surrounding imaginary reality of cities in constant mutation and transformation. INTRO TO N-MINUTES Architecture is the skeleton of a city, and its facade the urban skin. The public spaces of our modern cities, where we live, work and rest, are filled with advertisements, and are in many ways demonstrating the commercial culture and spirit of the city. Leading the way for national urbanization in the 21st century, Shanghai is one of the cities urging the development of commercial centers and urban advertising. The vast quantities of advertisements stimulate our desire, tempting and suffocating us at the same time, creating a sense of admiration and loathe. Commercial advertisements have evolved from their first contained location on our TV screens at home to our public transportation systems and pubic centers and streets, from the walls of a residential building to the elevators of work offices. Advertising and its media are the facade, expressing desire and prosperity. The urban skin of Shanghai, once rich with cultural motifs and symbols is now tattooed with famous commercial brands. N-Minutes Video Art Festival is a public art project, which aims to promote video art among the big public and urban spaces. The purpose is neither political nor purely for entertainment, but is to enable a platform for video art. And to catch the attention of a broader public area towards video art that represents a variety of aesthetics, concepts, experiments, philosophies and crossovers. N-Minutes was founded in 2011 by curator Li Ningchun. Since then, it is held every year from September to October in Shanghai. With various art activities including Screening, Mapping, Performances, Exhibition and Forum, N- Minutes weaves video arts into urban life and interacts with the public, enabling a new possibility of public art. ABOUT THE FESTIVAL N-Minutes Video Art Festival is one of the most dynamic public art programmes in China. It was first held in 2011 with the theme of “Urban Skin”, presenting the city and its citizens a brand new visual experience by integrating art into public space. The 2nd N-Minutes Video Art Festival upholds the theme of “Dialogue” – dialogues between art and the city, between videos and the citizens, between the commercial and the public. More spectacular art activities will take place in the public space where we live, work, and enjoy ourselves. N-Box, a showroom designed by artists, will highlight this September. Located in the hall of Citi Square – our main venue, N-Box brings the audience close to art and a refreshing concept of appreciating contemporary video art. The main venue of the festival lies in Citi Square, West Nanjing Rd, Shanghai – the most prosperous commercial center of China. N-Minutes Video Art Festival, a non-profit programme, will welcome this September with over 70 video works by over 60 artists from 12 countries. On the list are practiced famous artists like Zhang Peili, Lu Chunsheng, Zhang Qing, Jiang Zhi, etc. and promising young artists like Sun Xun, Cheng Ran, Chen Zhou, etc. The works cover videos, animations, and films. The festival has established partnership with European Media Art Festival (EMAF) and Video Guerrilha Festival. Apart from introducing outstanding works from Europe and South America, N-Minutes will promote choice video works and artists from China through international platforms. Given the uniqueness of public space, Curator Li Ningchun takes into account the space and the audience and categorizes the works into several parts: “New production”, “Animation”, “Digital”, “Classic”, “International”, etc. Works are scheduled in an instructive and fun way so that the public can better enjoy the show. Please visit our site for the schedule. N-Minutes will establish its presence beyond the main venue by cooperating with various art institutions and museums in Shanghai. There will be shows and lectures focusing on the theme “Dialogue”. Please visit our site for more information. FULL LIST OF ARTISTS Adriana Ramalho (Br), Alex Villar (Br), Ben Houge（USA), Carmen Gil Vrolijk (COL), César Meneghetti (Br), Dan Boord (USA), Daniel Koetter (Ger), Eitan Efrat (Israel), Fernanda D'Agostino (ＵSA), Fernando Velázquez (Br), Gim Hongsok 金泓锡 (Korean), Hannes Seidl（Ger), Isabelle Bonté (Fr), Juliana Cerqueira (Br), Laura Gines (Spain), Lea Van Steen (Br), Luis Valdovino (USA), Nico Herbst (USA), Pekka Sassi (Finland), Pere Ginard (Spain), Raquel Kogan (Br), Sérgio Ulhoa (Br), Simone Michelin (Br), Sirah Foighel Bruttmann (NL), Supermafia (CH), Sylvie Denet (Fr), Timo Schierhorn (Ger), Tobias Rosenberger (Ger), Tsuyoshi Ozawa 小泽刚 (JP), Tuomas Laltinen（Finland）, Virginia de Medeiros (Br) 陈侗, Chen Tong, 陈劭雄, Chen Shaoxiong, 陈晓云, Chen Xiaoyun, 陈轴, Chen Zhou, 程然, Cheng Ran, 胡一毕, EB, 蒋志, Jiang Zhi, 李然, Li Ran, 李明, Li Ming, 廖文峰, Liao Wenfeng, 李消非, Li Xiaofei, 楼南立, Lou Nanli, 陆扬, Lu Yang, 陆春生, Lu Chunsheng, 罗永进, Luo Yongjin, 马秋莎, Ma Qiusha, 孙逊, Sun Xun, 吴鼎, Wu Ding, 王超, Wang Chao, 王海洋, Wang Haiyang, 王欣, Wang Xin, 徐哲, Xu Zhe, 徐 文恺, Xu Wenkai, 杨泳梁, Yang Yongliang, 叶凌翰, Ye Linghan, 张培力, Zhang Peili, 张 乐华, Zhang Lehua, 章清, Zhang Qing, 周明, Zhou Ming, 易连, Elian. N- MINUTES FESTIVAL 1168 West Nanjing Road Jing An district Shanghai，China www.n-minutes.org
